The present invention relates to glue traps for trapping vermin, such as insects, rodents and the like. Particularly, the glue trap of this invention is directed toward trapping cockroaches, which are known dwellers of dark, confined spaces and known carriers of various pathogenic bacteria, viruses, protozoa and parasitic worms.
It is generally known that cockroach populations are becoming more and more difficult to control. It would seem as though the cockroach has familiarized itself with the many existing traps, whether they are adhesive traps, traps supporting various baits and insecticides or other methods of trapping and thus the need has arisen for a trap that is more effective than the existing traps known in the art in order to more successfully combat this modern day pest.
In considering characteristics endemic to cockroaches, as well as the behavior of the cockroach as they approach, enter and try and escape from a trap, the inventor has come up with a trap design which is particularly desirable for trapping cockroaches, which includes a number of features which together provide a glue trap which is surprisingly effective and out catches other known traps in the market.
Glue traps, in general, are well known. Traps known in the art each provide various ways of enhancing the catch of target vermin, whether they are cockroaches, rodents or the like. There are glue traps having various ports, entrances and openings each positioned or designed to entice or fool the vermin into entering the trap, where once it has entered, they are then prevented in various ways from escaping.
The glue trap of the present invention is provided with a unique corner design so that the trap can be positioned in a corner location for trapping cockroaches and other like crawling insects which aggregate in corner regions and confined spaces. For this reason, the trap of the present invention has been designed to locate in areas most likely favored by cockroaches, such as in corner areas of a room, a cupboard, a drawer and/or the like and is provided, inter alia, with a top opening at the corner so that a cockroach crawling down or along the walls of a corner might be caught.
Various traps known in the art are provided with features to propel the likes of an insect into a trap for engagement with an adhesive or other means of preventing the insect from escaping. In Sherman, U.S. Pat. No. 4,608,774 a roach trap having an opening or a chute and a recess for retaining an attractant to induce a roach to enter the chute is provided. The chute is provided with a slippery surface so as to enhance the downward travel of the insect into the trap once the insect is on the chute. In Hemsarth et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,263,740, which relates to a crawling insect trap having an opening with an inwardly sloping decline, a surface covered with a loosely adhering particulate material which avalanches when the insect tries to crawl out of the opening of the trap is provided in this trap, the insect is propelled into the trap so as to become adhered to the glue surface below the opening.
In the present invention, this concept is taken further, namely by providing a slippery or low friction surface around the periphery of the glue to prevent, for example, a roach already adhered to the glue from obtaining a hold on adjacent surfaces with its available appendages, in order to break free from its engagement with the glue. In other words, rather than propelling the insect into the glue, the slippery surface acts as a means for preventing the insect escaping from engagement with the glue.
To further enhance this aspect of the present invention, the packaging and folding of the trap provides a ridge-free interior so that, for example, an insect is not able to use an edge or join to pull itself free from the glue.
It has been surprisingly discovered that the use of release paper as a means for providing such a slippery surface additionally provides a suitable surface to hold the adhesive layer in position, preventing bleeding of the adhesive throughout the trap and allowing the adhesive to be strategically placed on the surface of the trap.
Various ways of attracting vermin to glue traps are known. The type of attractant used is often specific to the type of vermin being targeted by the trap. For example, decayed wood extracts are known as attractants for termites as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 3,070,495 (Esenther et al.). The use of pheromones in pest control is also well known, especially in control of insect populations, whereby insect pheromones are used as attractants based on the understanding of both the insect's behavior and ecology.
Of particular interest in one aspect of the present invention are aggregation pheromones since these are widespread in insects, some cockroaches and many beetles and release behavior in conspecifics leading to an increase in population densities in the area of the source.
There are, however, many difficulties associated with the use of insect pheromones, particularly aggregation pheromone. These difficulties include the identification and characterization of the pheromone, for example aggregation pheromone of the cockroach species, Blattella germanica is documented to contain at least 150 different compounds. Furthermore there are difficulties in maintaining the stability of such volatile pheromones.
In a dissertation, authored by the inventor of the present invention, entitled "Enhancement of the Efficacy of Entomopathogenic Nematodes for the Control of the Eastern Subterranean Termite, Western Corn Rootworm and the German Cockroach", submitted to Temple University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in January 1994, incorporated herein in its entirety by reference, a way to successfully collect and use natural pheromone from cockroaches of the species Blatella Germanica, as an attractant is documented.
A cockroach attractant causing aggregational behavior within groups of cockroaches was first reported to be associated with the feces of the German Cockroach by Ishii and Kuwahara [1968]. In Ballard and Gold, Journal of The Kansas Entomological Society 51[1], 1982, pp. 86-90, the use of German cockroach feces was used as a selected bait in a sticky trap in the evaluation of the German cockroach population. Other examples of attractants, specifically attractant baits for cockroaches of the species B germanica known in the art include bread, yeast, banana, dog food, apple, raisins and potato.